bridges

Multnomah County confirmed today that the biking and walking path on the Morrison Bridge will re-open permanently on December 5th. The path has been closed since early June while contractors work to replace the bridge’s steel grating due to safety concerns.

As part of the public art planned along their Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail project, TriMet is considering something quite interesting for the new Willamette River Bridge — a “sonic bike path.”

TriMet architect Bob Hastings and Public Art Program Manager Mary Priester presented the idea to the City of Portland Bicycle Advisory Committee (PBAC) last night.

The “sonic bike path” concept is still in its early stages, but at this point, the idea is to create a series of grooves on a 150 foot section of the bikeway on each end of the bridge. The grooves would be placed in such a frequency and depth that a melody would be emitted as bicycle tires rolled over them. As for the song, the artists are considering Simon and Garfunkel’s “Feelin’ Groovy.”(more…)

In July 2011, construction will begin on the Portland-Milwaukie Light Rail Bridge, the largest span in the country dedicated to transit, bikes and pedestrians. As the first Portland bridge built across the Willamette River in more than 35 years, this structure is an important and visible project for our region.

We recognize that bridge construction will engage a complex community of existing river and waterfront stakeholders over the next four years. Let’s explore potential opportunities for coordination and synergy in our relationship to the river during this project.

Construction of the Gibbs Street Pedestrian Bridge is set to being this month and Portland Mayor Sam Adams will host a ground-breaking event this Tuesday.

Once complete, the Gibbs Bridge will extend 700 feet over I-5, connecting the Lair Hill Neighborhood to the South Waterfront District near the Aerial Tram. The bridge will be for bicycling and walking only and according to the project website, the project also comes with some, “improvements to some pedestrian crossings in the area.”

Today was the first major test of a two-month closure of the Broadway Bridge. The bridge is closed due to streetcar track construction until September 3rd, however it remains open to biking and walking traffic. This morning, I heard from streetcar crews on the scene that the south sidewalk will remain open to non-motorized traffic until July 17th. After that, the plan is for the entire bridge to be closed to all vehicles (that means bikes too) for the remainder of the summer.(more…)

When we last chimed in about a two month closure to the Broadway Bridge slated to begin on July 6th, the plan from PBOT and Portland Streetcar Inc. was to maintain biking and walking access on the south sidewalk throughout the entire length of the construction project.

Now, that plan has changed.

PBOT spokesperson Dan Anderson has confirmed that the bridge will be completely closed to biking and walking traffic for a yet-to-be determined length of time. (more…)

Please note the PBOT traffic advisory below regarding an upcoming closure of the Broadway Bridge. The bridge will be completely closed to motorized traffic for two months starting July 6th, but it will remain open to biking and walking traffic. The closure is to facilitate streetcar construction.

Here’s a word from streetcar project spokesperson Julie Gustafson about how bike traffic will be impacted:

The south sidewalk will remain open to maintain bicycle and pedestrian connectivity. The only time it will be “closed” is when they do a bridge lift. These will be short duration closures similar to a normal bridge lift. There will be signing and defined paths for the bikes and peds to follow on both sides of the bridge. The Larrabee (eastern) side will have an additional ramp for bi-directional bike approach.

If you’re one of the 10,000 people signed up to ride in the 31st annual Seattle-to-Portland Bicycle Classic in July, take note. For the first time since 1989, the route entering Portland from Highway 30 will be different this year.

The STP route usually winds through Northwest Portland and then crosses the Willamette River via NW Lovejoy and the Broadway Bridge. But this year, due to streetcar construction, organizers have decided to use the St. Johns Bridge instead.

The new route will take riders across the bridge in St. Johns, then onto N. Willamette Blvd and N. Rosa Parks, then south to Holladay Park in the Lloyd Center via N. Vancouver Ave. Here’s a map detail of the route through Portland: (more…)